NOTE OF THE MEETING OF EXPERTS ON INDUSTRIAL

CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD:

ACRYLAMIDE WORKSHOP, 20-21 OCTOBER 2003

Information on Ways to Lower the Levels of Acrylamide Formed in Food

The presence of the chemical acrylamide in food was highlighted in April 2002. Acrylamide is
formed in food as a result of cooking practices, some of which have been used for many years,
even centuries. Therefore, finding ways to prevent its formation and to lower the levels in food is
not straight-forward. Numerous studies and research activities have been developed to help
better understand how to lower the levels.

On 20-21 October 2003, the European Commission held a meeting to discuss with stakeholder
groups the progress made on ways to lower the levels of acrylamide formed in food. The
participants of the meeting included representatives from the different sectors of the food industry
(including producers, processors, retailers and caterers), consumer representatives,
representatives of the EU Member States, of the European Food Safety Authority and of the
European Commissions Directorates-General for Health and Consumer Protection, Agriculture,
Research and the Joint Research Centre.

A number of approaches that have been found to lower the levels of acrylamide formed in food
were discussed. Studies have generally applied to fried and baked cut potato and baked cereal
products. The formation of acrylamide in these products has been linked to the interaction of
certain sugars (reducing sugars such as glucose/dextrose, fructose) with the amino acid
asparagine when heated in low moisture conditions. Some approaches to lowering the
formation of acrylamide can be readily applied. For example, avoiding over-frying or over-
baking of potato products in particular (as indicated by excess browning) can significantly lower
the levels of acrylamide formed when compared with products more lightly fried or more lightly
baked. Other approaches to lowering levels of acrylamide require further investigation. For
example, findings in laboratory studies may need testing for feasibility in commercial practice.
The range of products in which acrylamide can be found is extremely wide and initial findings in
some cases apply to only limited product types. Also, there is a need to further investigate
agricultural factors, such as crop storage and the influence of climatic and seasonal variation on
the potential for acrylamide formation.

As highlighted at the meeting, details of approaches found to lower the levels of acrylamide
formed in food and a number of recommendations are listed below:


1. CUT POTATO PRODUCTS (FRIED & BAKED)
E.g. products such as potato crisps and french fries.

1.1 Low levels of reducing sugars
Select varieties
It is feasible to select potato varieties with low levels of reducing sugars. These varieties can be
used for cut potato products intended for frying and baking to lower the levels of acrylamide
formed. For example, a maximum of 1g/kg reducing sugars has been suggested as a way to
significantly diminish the likely formation of acrylamide. Such information on sugar levels is
sometimes already used by the industry. Information could be given to consumers to allow them
to select labelled varieties e.g. retail bags could be colour coded with a key, to indicate the
suitability for use in frying and baking.

It is important to note that although the sugar content can depend upon the potato variety it also
depends upon seasonal factors, cultivation and storage conditions (see below). These factors
should be taken into account and further investigated where necessary.

Blanch/ soak
Levels of reducing sugars can be lowered by pre-blanching the cut potatoes in warm or hot water
or soaking them in water at room temperature before they are fried or baked (N.B. after soaking
cut potatoes immediately before frying, it is important to drain well before placing them in hot oil
in the fryer. This will help to avoid the possible risk of a pan fire which otherwise can be caused
if water is added to hot oil.) Blanching may be unsuitable for some products if it would cause
unacceptable moisture uptake, leading to loss of consistency/ crispness or possible
microbiological spoilage.

Low pH
Lowering the pH of the potatoes, for example with citric acid (e.g. 0.5-1.0% < 20minutes) has
been shown to lower the levels of acrylamide formed. However, this approach can cause souring
of flavour if a precise procedure is not followed and also the frying oil can become rancid.
Further investigation on the feasibility of this approach is necessary.

Avoid cold storage
Storage of potatoes below 8C (farm, barn, distributors, retail, caterers, domestic, etc) is known
to cause increased levels of reducing sugars. Storage at 8C or above will therefore reduce the
potential for the formation of acrylamide in the potato product upon baking or frying. Avoiding
cold conditions can be readily achieved for short-term storage. There is a practical problem for
longer term agricultural storage. To maintain supplies of potatoes throughout the year it is
necessary for producers to store potatoes for periods of several months. This can only be
achieved successfully if the storage conditions prevent the potatoes from sprouting. Cool
temperatures are often used to prevent sprouting. Alternatively, chemical treatments of potatoes
with sprout suppressing agents can be used, although the use of such chemicals is not always
desired by the consumer or may not be permitted.

Optimum long term storage regimes should be identified to limit the formation of sugars and
consequently reduce the potential for acrylamide formation, whilst avoiding the problems
associated with sprouting or spoilage.

Avoid sugar dips/ coatings in part-cooked products
Processors of part-cooked cut potato products sometimes include a process of dipping the
products in glucose/ dextrose solutions. These solutions can help to give the final fried or baked
products an even golden colour. The use of reducing sugars in such dips/ coatings should be
avoided where possible because they can cause the formation of significant levels of acrylamide.

1.2 Temperature/ cooking regimes
A straight-forward way to lower levels of acrylamide is to avoid browning when frying or baking,
aiming for a golden yellow colour.

For conventionally fried potato products, frying temperatures above 175C have been shown to
increase levels of acrylamide significantly. The initial frying temperature should not exceed
175C and possibly should not exceed 170C. (N.B. The addition of potato to the hot oil and the
subsequent evaporation of water cools the oil. In domestic preparation where smaller ratios of oil
to potato are used it is likely that the frying temperature drops more than in commercial
preparation. Consequently, the acrylamide levels might be lower, although this needs further
investigation.) Further reduction of the formation of acrylamide can be achieved by further
lowering the temperature to 150C towards the end of cooking. However, use of lower
temperatures for extended cooking times can affect quality, such as increased moisture.
Increased moisture can result in loss of consistency/ crispness and for products which are not
eaten immediately after cooking moisture can increase the risk of microbiological spoilage. Also,
low frying temperatures can result in increased fat uptake which can have health implications.

To enable better control over frying temperatures, it is necessary to improve the reliability and
accuracy of temperature controls on frying equipment, in particular for domestic fryers. The type
of frying oil used appears to have little influence on the formation of acrylamide.

Oven baking temperatures should not be too high, for example not above 200C in a conventional
oven and not above 190C in a fan-assisted oven.

Microwave heating to part-cook cut potato products before oven baking might increase the
potential for acrylamide formation. This is possibly due to the microwave removing moisture
before oven baking. Whether to avoid this way of part-cooking needs further investigation.

1.3 Asparagine levels
Asparagine is an important amino acid component of potatoes and it is not clear whether control
of asparagine levels would be practicable. Whether levels can be changed would need long term
assessment of potato varieties and feasibility studies.

The use of the enzyme asparaginase is a possible approach to interrupt the interaction of
asparagine with reducing sugars (e.g. in doughs for some potato products), but further
investigation is required.


2. CEREAL PRODUCTS
2.1 Baking temperatures/ shorter baking time
For many bakery products perhaps the most straight forward way to lower the levels of
acrylamide formed is to reduce the baking time to avoid excess browning. Reducing the baking
temperatures can also help to achieve reduction. For example, lighter baking of sweet biscuits
has resulted in significantly lowering levels of acrylamide in some products. However, for some
bakery products excess baking can have the same effect and also lead to lower levels of
acrylamide. This is believed to result from a balance between formation and destruction of
acrylamide at high temperatures. Manufacturers should explore how their products are affected
by baking time and temperature. In dry, crisp products a balance is needed to avoid unacceptable
product quality, in particular moisture levels should be checked to maintain a desirable texture
and to avoid microbiological and spoilage implications.

2.2 Asparagine levels
Higher levels of asparagine in different cereal types can lead to higher levels of acrylamide in
products. Grain varieties can be selected for lower asparagine levels e.g. broadly, rye can contain
more asparagine than wheat and oats, which can contain more than rice and maize. It is unclear
whether changes in agricultural practice could consistently reduce the content of asparagine in the
different varieties of grain and studies would be necessary to clarify this. However, the extent of
milling of grain can also affect the asparagine. For example, higher levels of acrylamide can
result from less milled flours and darker breads. The nutritional effect of selecting alternative
grains and alternative processing should be carefully considered. The use of the enzyme
asparaginase is a possible approach to reduce asparagine, but further investigation is required.

2.3 Low levels of reducing sugars
The levels of reducing sugars that are naturally present in cereals appear to be difficult to change.
Also, their influence on potential acrylamide formation is less clear than for potatoes. Longer
term studies are needed on different cereal varieties to clarify the extent to which varieties could
be selected for lower levels of reducing sugars and on whether this approach would help to
reduce the formation of acrylamide. Despite difficulties in managing the levels of naturally
present sugars, the effect of reducing sugars on acrylamide formation in sweetened bakery
products can be more readily managed by carefully selecting other ingredients. The selection of
ingredients to avoid high levels of reducing sugars can diminish the potential for acrylamide
formation e.g. alternatives to using glucose, fructose and honey can result in lower levels of
acrylamide. However, care is important when considering changes for different products, to
ensure that such changes would indeed lower the levels of acrylamide and would not unduly
compromise the nutritional and health value of the products.

2.4 Alternative raising agents
The use of the raising agent ammonium bicarbonate has been found to increase the potential for
acrylamide formation due to the ammonium component. Ammonium appears to be an important
factor in acrylamide formation, such as in sweetened bakery products. Replacing ammonium
bicarbonate with other raising agents e.g. sodium hydrogen carbonate can significantly lower the
levels of acrylamide formed in many cereal products. The amounts of sodium used in raising
agents are unlikely to contribute significantly to dietary sodium intake. The flavour implications
also need to be carefully considered for some products.

2.5 Use of previously baked crumbs e.g. in crispbread/ crackers and multiple-baking
Crumbs from a previous bake are sometimes re-used and re-baked (known as rework) e.g. to
coat and give texture to a product. Reports indicate that the use of rework in baked cereal
products sometimes can cause significantly higher levels of acrylamide, although there are
differing views on the extent of the contribution. Further studies are needed, but in the meantime
the use of rework should be avoided where possible for uses where it is known to significantly
increase acrylamide levels. The issue of multiple-baking can be complicated, for example cereals
might be necessarily toasted or baked before being incorporated into a cereal bar for final baking.
Further investigation is needed into the influence of such multiple-baking processes.


3. COFFEE
Acrylamide can be formed in coffee during the roasting process. Roasting is an essential part of
processing for coffee and the levels of acrylamide in different products appear not to vary
considerably. This makes it difficult to identify how to optimise the roasting and processing to
lower the levels of acrylamide. Coffee can contribute significantly to the total dietary intake of
acrylamide for some groups of consumers, although this is generally a result of drinking large
amounts of coffee. No obvious ways to lower the levels of acrylamide formed in coffee or coffee
substitutes have been demonstrated and further investigation is needed. For example, convection
roasting has been indicated as a possible approach, but whether this would be feasible is not yet
clear. Also, the feasibility of lowering the levels of reducing sugars in raw coffee is unclear.


RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MEETING

To food producers and processors
1. Fried and baked cut potato products should be golden yellow and not browned.
2. Where appropriate, e.g. for potatoes destined for cutting and frying or baking, select potato
varieties with low levels of reducing sugars.
3. For long term storage of potatoes destined for cutting and frying or baking avoid storage
below 8C whenever possible. For short term storage of potatoes, avoid storing below 8C
whenever possible. Investigate and optimise storage conditions to keep levels of reducing
sugars low whilst avoiding sprouting or spoilage.
4. For conventionally-fried cut potato products, the frying temperature should not exceed 175C.
5. Oven baking temperatures for cut potato products should not exceed 200C for conventional
ovens and should not exceed 190C for fan-assisted ovens.
6. Where possible part-cook/ blanch or soak cut potato products in water (and drain well) before
frying or baking.
7. Avoid using glucose/ dextrose or other sugar dips/ coatings for products to be fried or oven
baked whenever possible.
8. Part-cooked potato products should be labelled with instructions to cook until golden yellow
and to avoid browning. Accurate cooking temperature/ time instructions should be given to
avoid too hot frying and baking temperatures.
9. Avoid excess browning of baked cereal products.
10. In bakery products use raising agents other than ammonium bicarbonate whenever possible
and acceptable, e.g. sodium hydrogen carbonate.

To retailers
1. Avoid storing potatoes below 8C where feasible and otherwise investigate alternative storage
practices. Ideally store potatoes in the dark at a temperature of 8C or slightly higher.
2. Investigate the feasibility of labelling potato varieties which are low in reducing sugars and
most suitable for cutting and frying or baking.
3. Check that suppliers are aware of the above recommendations and where possible follow
them.

To caterers
1. Avoid storing potatoes below 8C. Ideally store potatoes in the dark at a temperature of 8C
or slightly higher.
2. Fried and baked cut potato products should be golden yellow and not browned.
3. Where possible, blanch or soak cut potato products (and drain well) before frying or baking.
4. Frying temperatures for cut potato products should not exceed 175C. Ensure temperature
controls on fryers are reliable and accurate.
5. Oven baking temperatures for cut potato products should not exceed 200C for conventional
ovens and should not exceed 190C for fan-assisted ovens.
6. Avoid excess browning of baked cereal products.
7. Follow uptodate preparation instructions given by suppliers.

To consumers
1. Avoid storing potatoes below 8C do not store them in the refrigerator. Ideally store
potatoes in the dark at a temperature of 8C or slightly higher.
2. Fried and baked cut potato products should be golden yellow and not browned.
3. Frying temperatures for cut potato products should not exceed 175C.
4. Oven baking temperatures for cut potato products should not exceed 200C for conventional
ovens and should not exceed 190C for fan-assisted ovens. For processed potato-based
products follow the cooking instructions on the food packets.
5. Where possible blanch or soak cut potato products (and drain well) before frying or baking.
For pan-fried potatoes use already boiled potatoes rather than raw potatoes.
6. Avoid excess browning of baked cereal products.
7. Follow carefully the cooking instructions on food packets.